Michigan dairyman on farmer panel meeting President Trump today

April 25, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jackson County dairyman Hank Choate is among 14 farmers from across the country meeting with President Donald Trump this afternoon at the White House, alongside American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. The roundtable discussion is expected to focus on issues the White House believes are most pressing for American agriculture.

The invitees were selected by the White House to showcase the diverse nature of agriculture production in the U.S. Other farmers chosen to take part will represent California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Hank Choate’s “Belly Acres” is a fifth generation family farm located near Cement City in southern Jackson County. The operation raises 1,800 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa, most of which goes to feed a herd of 500 head Holstein cattle.

Choate is an active Farm Bureau member, both at the state level and in Jackson County. He also serves on the boards of directors of GreenStone Farm Credit Services and Michigan Milk Producers Association.

“It is an honor to have a representative of Michigan agriculture invited to play an integral role in today’s roundtable discussion at the White House,” said Carl Bednarski, president of Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB). “Farm Bureau looks forward to working with the administration and Congress on issues like trade, farm labor and regulatory reform, with the goal of boosting American agriculture and increasing access to American-grown food, fuel and fiber.”

It is believed the last time a group of farmers met with a U.S. president this early in an administration was prior to the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.